1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for starting horse races and otherwise exercising control over a horse by controlling its vision pattern, and particularly to a hood adapted to be worn by a horse and including a mechanically operable blindfold or blinder apparatus that may be operated manually to cut off the horse's vision, or operated from a remote point to restore the horse's vision by opening the blinder apparatus.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is believed the prior art pertaining to this invention may be found in Class 119, sub-class 104; and Class 54, sub-classes 4, 10, 11, 15, 160 and 350. A search in these classes and sub-classes has revealed U.S. Pat. Nos. 721,760; 960,648 and 1,126,697. These patents all pertain to the general subject of providing a blinder-type structure to cover a horse's eyes, but none of these patents teach the concept of a remotely controlled device for re-establishing the normal vision pattern of a horse, or otherwise controlling the extent of such vision pattern.
Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is the provision of an apparatus operable to initiate the starting of a horse race.
Another important object of the invention is the provision of a hood to be worn by a horse and incorporating a blinder apparatus for horse's and a method and means for manipulating the blinder apparatus to selectively control the vision pattern of the horse.
Race horses may conventionally be provided with a hood made from an appropriate fabric. Such hoods, when used, cover the horse's forehead and are provided with apertures that expose the horse's eyes and permit a normal vision pattern for the horse. Additionally, the hoods are provided with apertures through which the ears project, and are adapted to be buckled under the head to prevent inadvertent displacement while the horse is running. It is another object of the present invention to incorporate on such a hood, a blinder apparatus for the horse's eyes that may be manually operated to cut off the horse's vision, thus causing the horse to stand stock still at the place where the blinders are closed, yet which may be activated from a remote location to retract the blinders, either partially or wholly, to thereby re-establish a selected vision pattern for the horse.
Conventionally, in horse racing, a metal starting gate is utilized which extends across the race track and which provides individual "gates" behind which a horse is confined until such time as the starting bell is sounded. It has been found that many horses are skittish and that such skittishness is contageous, frequently causing disruption of the process by which horses are brought to the starting gate. Frequently, a horse will attempt to bolt from the gate, sometimes injuring the rider. Accordingly, it is another important object of this invention to provide a method and means for starting race horses which eliminates the conventional gate structure, which permits a multiplicity of race horses to be brought to a designated line and which causes them to stand stock still at the line until the starting bell is sounded.
It is generally know among people that are familiar with the idiosyncrasies of horses, that when you cover a horse's eyes it will stand stock still until led from the spot. Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide a hood structure for a race horse incorporating simultaneously operable mechanical blinders for both eyes, which blinders may be closed and latched by an attendent before or after the horse has been brought to a starting line, and incorporating signal receiver means for receiving a starting signal from a signal transmitter activated by a "starter", the receiver incorporating mechanism to unlatch the blinders so as to expose the horse's eyes and re-establish its normal pattern of vision, while simultaneously signalling the start of the race.
Race horses have been conditioned through the years to respond to the sounding of a bell to signify commencement of a race. When race horses so conditioned hear the starting bell, they lunge forward to commence the race. Accordingly, another object of the present invention is to provide a hood and blinder structure for race horses that may be operated from remote point by a starter and which operates in conjunction with or incorporates a bell audible to the horse and signifying commencement of the race.
While most race horses run with a full vision pattern, some race horses, because of their own peculiar idiosyncrasies, run better if they do not see the horses to either side or behind them. For such horses, the conventional hood is equipped with a quarter spherical blinder in the form of a quarter of a spherical shell that is attached to the hood so that the shells or blinders lie behind the horses eyes, thus permitting only limited side vision while permitting full forward vision. It is therefore another object of this invention to provide a mechanically operated blinder mechanism for race horses that may be manually actuated to completely cut off the horses pattern of vision, and which may be actuated remotely to restore the horse's full vision pattern or only a partial vision pattern.
The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be apparent from the following description and the drawings. It is to be understood however that the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated and described since it may be embodied in various forms within the scope of the appended claims.